He has athleticism Live coverage of “Sunday Night Football”.
LAS VEGAS – Ashton Jeanty and the Las Vegas Raiders opened their season by taking down the Miami Dolphins 27-13 on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium. Ginty appears to be the superstar running back Raiders fans have come to expect with the improved offensive line and ecosystem around him. Last year’s No. 6 pick piled up 147 total yards and two touchdowns to lead Las Vegas to a win in coach Clint Kubiak’s coaching debut.
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Great games from the Dolphins @ Raiders
What did Raiders fans learn about the Clint Kubiak era after one game?
He seems to have greatly improved the Raiders’ offensive trench game and running game.
Las Vegas stifled the NFL’s worst offensive line a year ago, allowing a league-high 64 sacks on the field. But on Sunday, veteran Kirk Cousins had plenty of time to work, allowing him to work decisively and efficiently. Cousins was clinical in the first half of his first season with the Raiders, passing 14-for-17 for 96 yards and two touchdowns, including his 300th of his career. He was quick to get the ball out of his hands, operating from clean pockets and giving him clean chances. Cousins added a third passing touchdown in the second and went 21-of-30 passing for 160 yards and three scores. That final touchdown gave the Suns 301 for his career, surpassing John Elway for 14th.
Cousins gets a little shaky as he throws to Dolphins starter Michael Taaffe and another pick on fourth down to Dante Merchant Jr. to start the third quarter. But this was not the fault of his protection; It gave him time to take the shots he wanted.
Las Vegas also dominated the ground, allowing Genty’s second season to get off to a strong start. The backs had all kinds of room to run as new center Tyler Linderbaum led the pressure inside. Jeanty was a constant fixture in the backfield as a rookie, but when he had free space before Sunday, he looked every bit like a top-10 pick. It wasn’t just Jeanty, either; Rookie running back Mike Washington (seven carries, 41 yards) found a spot, allowing him to show the explosiveness we’ve seen in the preseason.
If Kubiak builds the Raiders’ frontcourt into a consistently competent unit, he could make the Raiders a consistently competitive team. Their performance in Week 1 is a sign that the coach can help bring success back to this franchise.
Is this the Ashton Jeannie we can expect to see moving forward?
Absolutely. It was reminiscent of his college days at Boise State, when Genty’s performance seemed unstoppable. With room to run, he had a chance to go on offense, and the Dolphins’ first linebacker rarely brought him down. Even when he was tackled, he was pushing the ball forward, like when he went a few extra yards on a big third-down run in the third quarter. He finished with 102 yards on 23 carries.
But perhaps more impressive was what he did in the passing game, recording six receptions for 45 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran some as a receiver in his rookie year, catching 55 passes for 346 yards and five touchdowns. But most of them were ways to get him out behind the offensive line. His contact with Cousins on Sunday made him look like a legitimate combo threat out of the backfield, running the field and getting open with linebackers and defensive backs. If he continues to do that effectively, he will wear down opposing defenses.
After Brook Bowers left, there were many questions about who would be the focal point of the Raiders’ offense. Jeanty went out on Sunday; It looks like he might be the guy going forward.
How did Max Crosby look when he returned to the field?
Crosby, who had 1.5 sacks, revealed what he showed in training camp: He seems to be back to being a playmaker.
The five-time Pro Bowler is fed up with questions this offseason about his knee surgery — which led to a failed workout in a trade with the Ravens to Baltimore. He repeated that he was fine and happy that she was back with the Raiders. Sunday’s performance proved that.
Crosby drew a lot of attention from the Dolphins’ offensive line, opening up early opportunities for teammates such as Sweetie Peay (two sacks) and Folorunso Fatukasi (0.5 sacks) to get into the backfield. Then, in the fourth quarter, the Raiders scored two touchdowns, forcing the Dolphins to finally get a chance to hunt.
Quarterback Malik Willis beat Miami left tackle Patrick Paul while running on third down, making him the third Raiders player to break the 70-sack mark with his first sack. On the next third down, Austin hit Jackson right, connecting with Pay on Willis for another half-sack.
“It was awesome,” Crosby said of being back on the field. “I’ve been waiting a long time. A long rehab, a long season, a lot of things to go through, a lot of obstacles and things that the everyday person doesn’t think about and the real grind of that.”
“I thank the people around me who helped me get back on the field. I had a great time. I’m doing what I love the most, playing football, and we can definitely do better. But off to a good start.”
As we have already seen, Crosby was not at all down. He was out of bounds for most of the Dolphins’ third drive before going in to end it. He stayed on the sideline for a short stretch before shutting down the Dolphins in a hurry.
When asked about Crosby sitting out those few plays, Kubiak simply said, “That’s my call.”
The Raiders will probably do it on the pitch count. This is reasonable even if he is fully restored to strength. Either way, the added rest seems to help.
How should Dolphins fans feel about their new starting quarterback, Malik Willis?
Willis has a commitment if the Dolphins give him some help.
Willis was forced into the Raiders’ pass rush most of the day, throwing one interception and being sacked five times. But the pressure put his athleticism on display when he struggled for a touchdown in the third quarter. Willis also showed off his arm talent with big passes downfield to receivers Malik Washington, Chris Bell and Caleb Douglas. He completed 15-for-27 passes for 220 yards and added 39 yards on the ground.
Willis definitely needed to do a better job running the offense. And he made some powerful mistakes, such as completely missing a look at Tredan Stucks over the middle, which resulted in his first career interception for the Raiders’ rookie safety. Some of it is because he plays furiously with the Dolphins behind him for the game.
The Dolphins didn’t give Willis much support other than running back Devon Achan (11 carries, 36 yards), which the Raiders clearly had a plan for. Miami is clearly in a rebuilding year. The Dolphins are trying to get a lot of dead money off their books, which forces them to play a lot of replacement level players. It’s still early, but once things clear up, Willis could prove worthy of backing him up.
